Abstract
The epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is considered as a critical developmental process in cancer biology. TGF beta has been shown to play an important role in the induction of EMT via down-regulating E-cadherin and up-regulating vimentin expression in cancer cells. However, whether TGF beta induces EMT in cancer spheres has not been determined yet. To address this question, we generated breast cancer spheres from MCF7 and MDAMB- 231 breast cancer cell lines. These cancer spheres then were treated with recombinant human TGF beta for 24 and 48 hours, respectively in order to examine the expression of epithelial marker E-cadherin and mesenchymal marker vimentin. We find that breast cancer spheres enriched with E-cadherin and exhibit characteristics of epithelial cells by TGF beta stimulation. In addition, we did not observe TGF beta induces EMT in breast cancer spheres such as lose E-cadherin expression and gain vimentin expression. Our data suggested that TGF beta plays a different role in breast cancer spheres and cancer cells during EMT induction.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
